Solstice:
Episode 21 of the June Murders
Bale knew that lots of other people across the country were doing the same thing. But that did not stop him from feeling self-conscious about the eccentricity of it. Certainly, his colleagues would be surprised. He had arrived at Hampstead Heath overlooking London at 4.30 a.m. The first light of dawn was scheduled to appear over the city at 4.43 this year. He’d been coming every summer solstice for over a decade now.
He had never been a spiritual person like Grace had been. Solstice celebrations had been part of her life since she was a child. Her parents had followed the Druid faith. They were so respected that they had presided at major rituals at the stone circles, such as Avebury, and even Stonehenge. When Bale had met them, he had sensed their mistrust. What was their daughter doing dating a policeman? Grace had teased them about their prejudice. Bale, she insisted, had not only an old soul but a beautiful one. Why could they not see it?
After her death, they had never spoken to Bale again. Unsurprisingly, they blamed him. Violent death would not have taken their daughter if he had not entered her life. It was an idea that haunted him as well.
So why was he here? It was a reasonable question; one, even more, compelling than in previous years when the English summer had brought rain on June 21…
